My laser-cutting experiment went well. I can use Hacklab’s laser to cut pieces of fabric for the plain tops I’ve been making. I sewed one up yesterday, and it was a breeze. The notches lined up, the dart lines were easy to follow, and everything came together neatly. So, what’s next?

• I can use this new technique to sew a number of additional tops, perhaps in fabrics that are more breathable than the polyester broadcloth I developed my skills on.
• I can look into decorative elements, maybe using fusible interfacing to stabilize the fabric (ex: http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=1611). Appliqués? Cut-outs? Repeated patterns? I tend to prefer simple clothes, so I may just stick with cutting out the basics.
• I can start exploring fabrics that were previously more intimidating, such as stretch fabrics (maybe a fitted cotton jersey shirt, or leggings for yoga?) and silk.

I think a few exercise tops or fitted T-shirts (self-drafting instructions) and a few leggings or pants (maybe following this tutorial) would be a good next step. I’ve seen bamboo at Designer Fabrics, so that might be good to work up to.

It’s a little hard to play around with patterns at home. Two of our cats love interfering with anything that involves concentration and flat surfaces, so sketching things on large pieces of paper sounds like an exercise in shooing them off. With the laser cutter, though, I can use Inkscape to draft and tweak the patterns, cut them precisely and reliably, and then sew them up to test the fit. If I’m lucky, I might even be able to use the sewing machine at Hacklab, further shortening the learning period.

It feels like such an odd luxury to pay attention to this instead of, say, spending the time consulting or programming or writing. But I think there might be something to the idea of infusing everyday objects with joy. I like wearing the tops I’ve sewn, as simple as they are. They remind me that:

• I can learn things (even if I tried before and couldn’t figure things out),
• I can make things (as simple or as neat as I want – so yes, straightforward curves, but what the heck, let’s French seam everything), and
• I never have to worry about things being out of style or out of stock again.

The peach one I’ve just sewn – the one from laser-cut pieces – adds even more meaning:

• I can incorporate new tools into my interests
• I should remember to test my assumptions. Sometimes there’s a much easier way to do things!
• I can work on applying technology to everyday life and little luxuries, and other people are interested in this too

There’s something in here about getting more out of each moment, and I’m curious about that. =)